People in the district have argued that plans for an annual £57.50 charge to collect garden waste in Huntingdonshire should be scrapped.

Concerns have been raised over whether some people will be able to afford the new charge proposed by Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) and whether there could be an increase in fly-tipping because of it.

However, some locals said they do not mind paying the proposed charge, highlighting that people in other areas already pay for the service.

READ MORE: Huntingdonshire District Council planning to charge for green bins

In Yaxley, in the north of the district, there were mixed views about the planned new charge.

Dora Meekings said: "People will stop, it will be filled up in the grey bins and cause more landfill.

"Also, lots of people can not afford to pay it, we are not hard up, but it will still make a dent in what we have got to pay.

"[Home composting] is not possible for me as I have got hard landscaping in the back.

"I just want to see it scrapped. I put all my food waste in there, and on days like today, I am going to fill the green bin up [with hedge trimmings], what else do I do with it?"

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Julie Staniland said she did not want to pay the charge but said it "looks like I will have to".

She said: "I think we pay enough. Unfortunately, we will have to pay for it, no doubt, but the fly-tipping will get worse as people won't pay for it and will dump it somewhere else.

"To take it to the tip, you have to have a car big enough to take that rubbish anyway, which we do not have."

One woman from Sawtry said she did not have a green bin but still opposed the new charge being introduced.

She said: "I do not actually have a green bin as I live in a block of flats, and we just have communal bins, and they do not provide a green bin – I do my own composting – but my thoughts are they should not be making people pay for it."

READ MORE: Councillors' anger over garden waste collection charge creating 'new tax burden'

"It's not the end of the world"

Others said they were not opposed to the new subscription service to continue having their garden waste collected by the district council.

Pauline Ricketts said: "It is what it is, every other place I have spoken to has to pay. One of my daughters lives on the other side of Peterborough, and she has to pay.

"I suppose it is just one of those things, if it is the case, they won't empty the bins unless we pay, then I will pay.

"I suppose it is costing them when you think about it, it has got to be paid for somewhere along the line.

"If they have got to charge, they have got to charge, no good moaning, life is too short to moan."

One couple said they were "neutral" about the new charge and that it would not make much of a difference to them.

James MacBean said he had moved from Peterborough, where there was a charge for the garden waste collection.

He said: "I guess from my perspective, coming from a middle-class background, it is affordable to me.

"Obviously, I would rather have the £57 in my pocket, but I am not too concerned necessarily, it is not the end of the world.

"That might be different for more working-class families, we do not have kids and can afford it from our perspective, but others might struggle."

The district council leadership has looked to address some of the concerns about the new charge previously.

While the authority is not considering subsidising the cost for people on lower incomes, the district council has announced intentions to expand the council tax support scheme, including a 100 per cent discount for the "most disadvantaged".

The district council has previously said that people could 'share' a green bin to reduce the cost to individuals.

The authority has also said it planned to monitor whether more garden waste ended up in black bins.